Artificially grained or figured wood and process of producing the same.



,To all whom it may UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAE AUGUSTUS HALL", OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MAHOGANY COMPANY, A GORPOBATION OF' MAINE.

ABTIIIOI ALLY DELETED-QB PIG'U'BID WOOD AND PROCESS OI I'QQODUOING 'nm 8m.

' Specification of Letters Patent;

m] 0mm 1:, mm. lq'lallo. 801,212.

Patented Oct. 1a, 1908.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM'A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residingat New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Artificially Grained or Figured Wood and Processes of Producing Same, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has for its object to rovide artificially grained or figured woo made from a common or relatively cheap wood, such as birch or maple, but which will have the appearance of -a beautifully grained, more expensive wood, such as walnut, mahogany or rose'wood. To this end the com-v mon or relatively chea wood is treated with a colorin solution w ich, even when thoroughly fi tered so as to make it very penetrating, will contain more or less pigment coloring matter, orcolorin'g matter which will be recipitated in the form of a pigment, most of which will be deposited in the more porous portions of the wood, such as the annular rings and vessels or grain cells and other long tudinal pores in the wood, but the thinner parts of which will also netrate the denser portions of the wood. r'om this it willresu t that although the wood will be artificially colored more or less'throughout, the reater portion of the colorin matter will deposited in the porous gram vemels or cells and in the annular rin of the wood, thereby greatly develo ing the grain of the pood and producing autiful grained efects.

One approved method of carrying the invention nto effect is as follows: The wood is first thoroughly'dried or seasoned and then subjected to a vacuum process in a closed receptacle for the purpose of. exhausting the air therefrom and rendering the same absorbent. The wood is then treated with a coloring fluid containin more or less pigment, such coloring fluidfiming referabl an alkahne solution of a suitable bark, suc as hemlock oak or spruce bark; or any suitable anhydrid of tannin may be em loyed. This coloring solution, when intro uced into the chamber containing the wood and from which latter the air has been exhausted,- as

abovedescribed, will enetrate the wood,/ and the more pigmentike portions of the solution'will become deposited in the grain cells whilethe thinner .parts of the solution will penetrate the wood, stainin desired color according to the 0% the coloring solution employed. This depositing. of. the pigment in the more rous portions of the wood is believed to be us, to some extent, to the fact that such tions contain more wood acid WlllOh induces preci itation of the pigment coloring matter 0 the solution. Also this depositmg of the pigment in the grain vessels or cells or other more porous portions of the wood is believed to be due to-some extent, to' a dialyzing eflect, that 13 to say to the dialytic actron of the wood tissues on the materials in solution. v y r If the wood be-in the form of thin veneers the solution will completely permeate the wood without being forced into the same by pressure, by permitting the wood toremain 1n the solution for a considerable time; but in order to expedite the graining and coloris 1n the form of boards or planks exceeding half an inch in thickness, high pressure should be applied in the chamber containing the wood and coloring matter, and be continued for several hours, in order to force the latter into and throughout the wood. By

this process a lar e portion of the coloringmatter is deposite in the orous grain cells and in this manner an arti cially grained or figured. wood is produced having) prominent grain effects, as is evidenced y, samples which will be furnished for inspection in the consideration of this application; and in this respect the improved product presents a very dlfl'erent appearance than can be obtained where the wood is stained b solutions, such, for example, as anilin so utions, which form nb deposits of solid or pi mentlike particles; and for this reason t e-im roved product can be readily identified as sistinguishable from other artificially colore'd woods. Any other ap roved or practicable process than as a ve suggested porous pormay be employed to produce ,the improved I product. I

Having thus described 'my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An artificiall lam ed or figured and stained wood containing pigment-like deposits of a colorin matter in the more orous portions of 4 e woodand having the enser or more solid portions of the wood stained throughout without'the pigment de posits.

2. An artificiallyained or figured wood containing pigmentike deposits of a bark coloring matter in the more porous portions of the wood and having the denser or more solid portions of the wood stained through- ',out without the pigment deposits.

3. The hereinescribed process of producing an artificially grained or figured wood, consisting in depositin from a single coloring solution and through the efl'ects or agency of substances naturally present in the wood, a pigment-like coloring matter in the more porous portions of the wood, to degrain figures, and causin the more fluid portions of the coloring so ution to permeate the entire body of the wood, so as to stain the denser,- or more solid portions; thereby artificially coloring the wood throughout but rendering the grain or more porous portions more deeply shaded.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL.

Witnesses:

CAL IN PAGE,

EMILY S'mvnns.

velop or render inore prominent the natural 

